What are approaches?

Approaches (on this site) refer to an integrated package of options (methods or processes). For example, 'Randomized Controlled Trials' (RCTs) use a combination of the options random sampling, control group and standardised indicators and measures.

Appreciative enquiry

A strengths-based approach designed to support ongoing learning and adaptation by identifying and investigating outlier examples of good practice and ways of increasing their frequency.

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Beneficiary Assessment

An approach that focuses on assessing the value of an intervention as perceived by the (intended) beneficiaries, thereby aiming to give voice to their priorities and concerns.

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Case study

A research design that focuses on understanding a unit (person, site or project) in its context, which can use a combination of qualitative and quantitative data.

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Causal Link Monitoring

An approach designed to support ongoing learning and adaptation, which identifies the processes required to achieve desired results, and then observes whether those processes take place, and how.

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Collaborative Outcomes Reporting

An impact evaluation approach based on contribution analysis, with the addition of processes for expert review and community review of evidence and conclusions.

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Contribution Analysis

An impact evaluation approach that iteratively maps available evidence against a theory of change, then identifies and addresses challenges to causal inference.

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Critical System Heuristics

An approach used to surface, elaborate, and critically consider the options and implications of boundary judgments, that is, the ways in which people/groups decide what is relevant to what is being evaluated.

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Democratic Evaluation

Various ways of doing evaluation in ways that support democratic decision making, accountability and/or capacity.

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Developmental Evaluation

An approach designed to support ongoing learning and adaptation, through iterative, embedded evaluation.

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Empowerment Evaluation

A stakeholder involvement approach designed to provide groups with the tools and knowledge they need to monitor and evaluate their own performance and accomplish their goals.

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Horizontal Evaluation

A particular type of case study used to jointly develop an agreed narrative of how an innovation was developed, including key contributors and processes, to inform future innovation efforts.

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Innovation History

A way to jointly develop an agreed narrative of how an innovation was developed, including key contributors and processes, to inform future innovation efforts.

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Institutional Histories

A particular type of case study used to create a narrative of how institutional arrangements have evolved over time and have created and contributed to more effective ways to achieve project or program goals.

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Most Significant Change

Approach primarily intended to clarify differences in values among stakeholders by collecting and collectively analysing personal accounts of change.

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Outcome Harvesting

An impact evaluation approach suitable for retrospectively identifying emergent impacts by collecting evidence of what has changed and, then, working backwards, determining whether and how an intervention has contributed to these changes.

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Outcome Mapping

An impact evaluation approach which unpacks an initiative’s theory of change, provides a framework to collect data on immediate, basic changes that lead to longer, more transformative change, and allows for the plausible assessment of the initiative’s contribution to results via ‘boundary partners’.

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Participatory Evaluation

A range of approaches that engage stakeholders (especially intended beneficiaries) in conducting the evaluation and/or making decisions about the evaluation​.

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Participatory Rural Appraisal

A participatory approach which enables farmers to analyse their own situation and develop a common perspective on natural resource management and agriculture at village level.

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Positive Deviance

A strengths-based approach to learning and improvement that involves intended evaluation users in identifying ‘outliers’ – those with exceptionally good outcomes - and understanding how they have achieved these.

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Qualitative Impact Assessment Protocol (QUIP)

An impact evaluation approach without a control group that uses narrative causal statements elicited directly from intended project beneficiaries.

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Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT)

An impact evaluation approach that compares results between a randomly assigned control group and experimental group or groups to produce an estimate of the mean net impact of an intervention.

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Realist Evaluation

An approach especially to impact evaluation which examines what works for whom in what circumstances through what causal mechanisms, including changes in the reasoning and resources of participants.

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Social Return on Investment (SROI)

An participatory approach to value-for-money evaluation that identifies a broad range of social outcomes, not only the direct outcomes for the intended beneficiaries of an intervention.

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Success Case Method

The Success Case Method (SCM) involves identifying the most and least successful cases in a program and examining them in detail. This approach was developed by Robert Brinkerhoff to assess the impact of organisational interventions, such as training and coaching, though the use of SCM is not limited to this context. It is a useful approach to document stories of impact and to develop an understanding of the factors that enhance or impede impact.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Utilisation-Focused Evaluation

An approach to decision-making in evaluation that involves identifying the primary intended users and uses of an evaluation and then making all decisions in terms of the evaluation design and plan with reference to these.

What are approaches?

Approaches (on this site) refer to an integrated package of options (methods or processes). For example, 'Randomized Controlled Trials' (RCTs) use a combination of the options random sampling, control group and standardised indicators and measures.

Appreciative enquiry

A strengths-based approach designed to support ongoing learning and adaptation by identifying and investigating outlier examples of good practice and ways of increasing their frequency.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Beneficiary Assessment

An approach that focuses on assessing the value of an intervention as perceived by the (intended) beneficiaries, thereby aiming to give voice to their priorities and concerns.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Case study

A research design that focuses on understanding a unit (person, site or project) in its context, which can use a combination of qualitative and quantitative data.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Causal Link Monitoring

An approach designed to support ongoing learning and adaptation, which identifies the processes required to achieve desired results, and then observes whether those processes take place, and how.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Collaborative Outcomes Reporting

An impact evaluation approach based on contribution analysis, with the addition of processes for expert review and community review of evidence and conclusions.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Contribution Analysis

An impact evaluation approach that iteratively maps available evidence against a theory of change, then identifies and addresses challenges to causal inference.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Critical System Heuristics

An approach used to surface, elaborate, and critically consider the options and implications of boundary judgments, that is, the ways in which people/groups decide what is relevant to what is being evaluated.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Democratic Evaluation

Various ways of doing evaluation in ways that support democratic decision making, accountability and/or capacity.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Developmental Evaluation

An approach designed to support ongoing learning and adaptation, through iterative, embedded evaluation.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Empowerment Evaluation

A stakeholder involvement approach designed to provide groups with the tools and knowledge they need to monitor and evaluate their own performance and accomplish their goals.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Horizontal Evaluation

A particular type of case study used to jointly develop an agreed narrative of how an innovation was developed, including key contributors and processes, to inform future innovation efforts.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Innovation History

A way to jointly develop an agreed narrative of how an innovation was developed, including key contributors and processes, to inform future innovation efforts.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Institutional Histories

A particular type of case study used to create a narrative of how institutional arrangements have evolved over time and have created and contributed to more effective ways to achieve project or program goals.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Most Significant Change

Approach primarily intended to clarify differences in values among stakeholders by collecting and collectively analysing personal accounts of change.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Outcome Harvesting

An impact evaluation approach suitable for retrospectively identifying emergent impacts by collecting evidence of what has changed and, then, working backwards, determining whether and how an intervention has contributed to these changes.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Outcome Mapping

An impact evaluation approach which unpacks an initiative’s theory of change, provides a framework to collect data on immediate, basic changes that lead to longer, more transformative change, and allows for the plausible assessment of the initiative’s contribution to results via ‘boundary partners’.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Participatory Evaluation

A range of approaches that engage stakeholders (especially intended beneficiaries) in conducting the evaluation and/or making decisions about the evaluation​.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Participatory Rural Appraisal

A participatory approach which enables farmers to analyse their own situation and develop a common perspective on natural resource management and agriculture at village level.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Positive Deviance

A strengths-based approach to learning and improvement that involves intended evaluation users in identifying ‘outliers’ – those with exceptionally good outcomes - and understanding how they have achieved these.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Qualitative Impact Assessment Protocol (QUIP)

An impact evaluation approach without a control group that uses narrative causal statements elicited directly from intended project beneficiaries.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT)

An impact evaluation approach that compares results between a randomly assigned control group and experimental group or groups to produce an estimate of the mean net impact of an intervention.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Realist Evaluation

An approach especially to impact evaluation which examines what works for whom in what circumstances through what causal mechanisms, including changes in the reasoning and resources of participants.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Social Return on Investment (SROI)

An participatory approach to value-for-money evaluation that identifies a broad range of social outcomes, not only the direct outcomes for the intended beneficiaries of an intervention.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Success Case Method

The Success Case Method (SCM) involves identifying the most and least successful cases in a program and examining them in detail. This approach was developed by Robert Brinkerhoff to assess the impact of organisational interventions, such as training and coaching, though the use of SCM is not limited to this context. It is a useful approach to document stories of impact and to develop an understanding of the factors that enhance or impede impact.

Click an approach on the left to navigate to it

Utilisation-Focused Evaluation

An approach to decision-making in evaluation that involves identifying the primary intended users and uses of an evaluation and then making all decisions in terms of the evaluation design and plan with reference to these.

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Outcome Mapping: Building learning and reflection into development programs

Outcome Mapping: Building learning and reflection into development programs

This book by Sarah Earl, Fred Carden and Terry Smutylo takes an original approach to assessing development impacts by focusing on the way in which people relate to each other and to their environment rather than simply evaluating the products a program produces. This book aims to improve the effectiveness of programs by proving information on how to be specific about the principle actors, the expected changes, and the strategies a program will employ. The steps involved in the outcome mapping approach are laid out and explained in this book, supported by detailed information on designing and facilitating workshops and a number of worksheets and examples.

This book is available as a free download (size 1.66mb)

Excerpt

"Outcome Mapping assumes that the boundary partners control change and that, as external agents, development programs only facilitate the process by providing access to new resources, ideas, or opportunities for a certain period of time. A focus on the behaviour of the boundary partners does not mean that the program decides how, when, and why those partners will change. In fact, by focusing on changes in behaviour, Outcome Mapping makes explicit something that has been accepted by development practitioners for a long time: the most successful programs are those that devolve power and responsibility to endogenous actors.

As development is essentially about people relating to each other and their environments, the focus of Outcome Mapping is on people. The originality of the methodology is its shift away from assessing the development impact of a program (defined as changes in state — for example, policy relevance, poverty alleviation, or reduced conflict) and toward changes in the behaviours, relationships, actions or activities of the people, groups, and organizations with whom a development program works directly. This shift significantly alters the way a program understands its goals and assesses its performance and results. Outcome Mapping establishes a vision of the human, social, and environmental betterment to which the program hopes to contribute and then focuses monitoring and evaluation on factors and actors within that program's direct sphere of influence. The program's contributions to development are planned and assessed based on its influence on the partners with whom it is working to effect change. At its essence, development is accomplished by, and for, people. Therefore, this is the central concept of Outcome Mapping." (Earl, Carden, Smutylo, 1971: 1-2)